Favourite Craft

[Boatingman]

Like many of you on the forum I have hired craft on the Broads for many years but my favourite as always been the the first boat we hired Rippling Foam from Jack Powles the holiday on her resulted in my love of the Broads which as never dwindled always feel happy when on the broads

Ray

[JanetAnne]

Me, obviously! Whats not to like? I am as perfect as they come...  and so modest with it!

 

My owner does have a soft spot for this old tub from his past though. Soft being the word, most of her is very soft and she is currently awaiting his attention once I am finished.

 

We would love to find W128 Newson Boats 'Emerald' one day. Another boat with lots of good memories attached

 

 

[LondonRascal]

Of all the boats I have hired the one that gripped me the most at the time was River Tamar from Stalham Yacht Services (since becoming Moonfleet).

 

I remember that previous to this my mum always preferred ‘bath tubs’ for their ease of getting on and off and wide side decks, so a new ‘Blue Chip’ Aqua Fibre Lowliner 38 which was only 2 weeks old when we hired it was something amazing for me when I was 11.

 

I still remember clearly the handover and us being shown around the boat and how cool it looked.  It was the first boat we had hired with this new fangled ‘warm air heating’ which I just could not figure out how it made the air hot and being told it was diesel fired only added to my confusion. 

 

I miss the days when you would see so many different yards boats on the rivers and make a note that is such and such boat in the flesh, since back then you did all your booking through a brochure and a couple of photos if you were lucky of ho the boat looked inside and out.

 

We went to the Berney Arms – turned and returned and got back to Acle where this photo of a young Rascal was taken.

 

Happy memories!

 

[charlesa]

Easy for me: Martham's Juliette !

Best wishes

Charles

[BroadScot]

Like many I guess, it was your own first hire you never forget and I am no exception. Sun Glory from Porter & Haylett. Little did I think when I was driving 450 miles or so would I become hooked on a holiday.

 

Thousands of miles later driving, and my love of Broads boating has never waned.

 

 

Me taking the rays in late March!

 

 

.

 

 

Iain.

[JawsOrca]

Oh geez too many.. I guess the favorite was Silver Melody (The original), she felt like a proper boat and we had a good time on her. She's a very similar to our current boat to

 

Other's that stand out though and equally favorite was Wildcat from Alpha and Firefly from Alpha (Wildcat was the perfect size for norfolk and I could relax and steer with my foot! We hired that boat many many times - Firefly again felt like a proper boat).. Lastly "Janet" from Mathams.. she clearly is a proper boat and we got the full experience on her (even weakening corking over Breydon water as it was a bit rough!). 

 

P.s JA I've not seen your hull before.. are you a broads boat? (you really need to get them humans to work harder as that picture looks an old one ) 

[Chelsea14Ian]

For me I think it was the Marthams boat back in the sixty's that's where I first tried any boating on the broads.

Ian

[Gracie]

Late 80's Gold Gem from Richardson's is the first Boat I can recall,a bath tub and basic but fell in love with her anyway. I remember going back to the yard on the last day of our holiday and looking around other Boats and thinking how much posher some of them were but give me a basic old boat any day of the week, don't go on holiday to use a microwave and put the telly on, much rather eat dinner in a Broadland pub and watch a Broads sunset 

 

Grace

[BroadScot]

Hi Alan,

 

I believe JA is an original HW woodie! Just extra special coz it can talk too!

 

 

Iain

[Paul]

For me there is one clear answer, Pacific Princess, originally built as Mediterranean Sea by John Williams at Stalham . We were regulars at Pacific Cruisers long before Princess, firstly as a family group then latterly as the "second generation" architypal "lad's group", for which we had special permission from Tony and Val who owned the yard at the time. One particular year we needed to hire Friday - Friday, something Pacific didn't offer at te time, as one of our crew's sisters had selfishly decided to get married on the Saturday following the August Bank Holiday, one of our regular boating weeks and so we hired from Richardson's that year. We still headed down to Loddon for a night out and to say hello, and on arrival at Pacific's yard Med Sea was moored on their frontage. At that time she was still quite new and the style one of the latest on the Broads. I jokingly said to the crew "I see Tony is buying me a new boat". Little did I know that was exactly what was happening, there and then on board, with the papers being signed as we pulled in. Valerie, never one to miss an opportunity to take a booking interrupted the negotiations to give us a show around and her first booking as a Pacific boat was made, almost before the ink was dry.

 

We could hardly wait, but had a whole year which we spent planning and saving and arrived the following August for the first of many great holidays on board, sometime two, three or even four times a year, before the lads group finally drifted apart as trival things like marriage and families got in the way.

 

She's not the best boat on the broads, although Richard and Fiona who own the yard now have looked after her very well and made  number of improvements. She has a nice new, quiet Nani diesel under the floor, bow thrusters, new galley and flooring. She still has a lot to offer as an older boat and is great value and so remains our first choice of hire boat. She doesn't get under bridges very well. Potter, Wroxham and Wayford are not possible. She will pass under Thorpe and Beccles on the correct tide but the risk of getting stuck make it prudent for the yard to exclude these too. The pay back for this is the excellent view from the upper deck of course. When we feel the need for a few days on the Upper Thurne we book Bittern from John at Whispering Reeds. The ferry from Beccles to Geldeston allows us our essential fix of the Locks Inn.

 

This year we decided to stay north side, having stayed south last year and so have booked Contessa from Clive, she is a sister ship and also looks in very good condition.

 

She may not suit everyone but she has done us nicely for many years now, from holidaying with my parents, through holidaying with friends to now taking my own family. A good part of my life has been spent on that boat. Hopefully we'll be out on her again next year, and if we do it will be the forty first time we have hired the same boat and out sixtieth boating holiday on the broads.

[Maxwellian]

I like Swallow from Maffetts. Lovely little boat for two.

[Poggymale]

Broom Navigator - absolutely beautiful boat - used to love working on them. Bumped into a chap earlier this year who had one and raved about it to him. To me they just say Broads! Always a fan of the original Moores boats and Jack Powles too!

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[deebee29]

First boat we ever hired was a Broom Navigator No.2 (have some photos around somewhere) absolutley loved that boat, it's what got me hooked in the first place.

There have been many great boats over the years but the Navigator holds a special place.

I often wonder if it's still around, i did see a picture a while ago of one with a gaping hole in the side but not sure what number it was.

[Poggymale]

There are a few still around including one which too part in the Broom Pageant a few years ago - love to see the photos.

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[deebee29]

There are a few still around including one which too part in the Broom Pageant a few years ago - love to see the photos.

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I'll see if I can dig them out & get them scanned

[BroadScot]

I do believe there is a Broom Navigator down at Hippersons / Beccles area. Certainly seen one there on several occasions.

 

 

Iain.

[Boatingman]

It seems we all have fond memories of the early craft we hired

the original Broom and Porter and Haylett craft where great

we hired from both many times then Summercraft always liked Gainsborough Girl hired her a few times

recent years it has been Silverline and Swancraft to have maximum time down south

Ray

[JimG]

Admiral VI from Brooms. I was ten and it was amazing.

[Boatingman]

Like Janet Anne looking for Newsons Emerald

does anyone know if any of Powles Foam or Star class boats are still around I have not seen any for many years

There use to be Well kept Star class at the big house just before the Ferry Inn as you come out of Horning but I think that as now gone

Ray

[JanetAnne]

Hi Alan,

 

I believe JA is an original HW woodie! Just extra special coz it can talk too!

 

 

Iain

That I am Iain.

 

Decent pictures are a problem Alan coz I dont look decent yet! You ought to mosey on over one day (we aint far apart... I'm just outside Buntingford)

[JanetAnne]

does anyone know if any of Powles Foam or Star class boats are still around I have not seen any for many years

There use to be Well kept Star class at the big house just before the Ferry Inn as you come out of Horning but I think that as now gone

Ray

Missouri Star will be at Beccles next weekend (Sat 15th).

[Boatingman]

Thanks Janet Anne

I am hoping work permitting to come up for the event

I think Missouri Star was the one that use to moor at Horning

Ray

[Bound2Please]

but give me a basic old boat any day of the week, don't go on holiday to use a microwave and put the telly on, much rather eat dinner in a Broadland pub and watch a Broads sunset 

 

Grace

 

Here here Grace

 

The first boat the wench and I hired together was a disaster on our honeymoon.

 

but the yard that in a way saved us was the Beever fleet, and we hired a few of their New Generations in the years that followed. So i guess they became our favourites, but the favourite woody was Anglian Sonet from a yard on Oulton Broad behind the Wherry hotel

 

Charlie

[JawsOrca]

Grace you should seriously try Marthams one day.. I wouldn't like to call them basic .. more like "honest and traditional".. I still have memories from hiring Janet from them (I think we did 2x 2 weeks over 2 years) . Sadly we was obviously not around the days when it was all timber boats but we got a sense of it on Janet. Try it seriously.  But I suspect you may struggle to look back at a plastic boat in the same way as before though.

[Gracie]

Jaws, I am ashamed to say that I have never been on a Woody, will have to remedy that one day. I do prefer the plastic older boats like Major Gem 2, Broadland Mars especially (favourite centre cockpit of all), I think the new builds are stunning but for me they lack the character of the older Boats. Growing up like most people we were by no means rich, my parents would hire the cheaper end of the market Boats, Rather two weeks on an old wreck than a week on a posh one, I guess that's where my love of them comes from, a bit sad I know but I could probably name every boat in the Richardsons fleet lol

 

Grace